Today,  Dell announced its ambition to become the most green computer manufacturer. According to greenbiz.com “The elements of the initiative include Dell’s goal to reduce its carbon emissions by at least 15 percent by 2012, expanding its “Plant a Tree for Me” program to the European market, and requiring its suppliers to provide quarterly reports on their carbon emissions.”

This sort of green leadership by a large corporation will have a certain effect on the market for environmental services, but lots of reports only equals more wasted paper. What will really matter is what large energy consumers like dell do to follow through on their commitments to go “green,” and how they encourage their suppliers to follow in enforcing their claims.

Increasing energy efficiency can improve the bottom line and indirectly reduce emissions.  This should be the starting point for any corporation that wishes to reduce its carbon footprint.  The next step-purchasing offsets-can become complicated. 

Dell, Yahoo, Starbucks, Nike, HSBC, Ben and Jerry’s, Safeway and countless other corporations have chosen to purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) to reduce their emissions.  Some RECs are great to reduce your carbon footprint, but you might as well just send a larger check to the power company if they are not additional.

What is being done by many of the corporate CSR departments is shaky ground.  Renewable energy is only a greenhouse gas offset if it is additional to “business as usual.”  Non additional RECs could be called green-washing by most international standards.